Is it worth paying for…

Is it worth paying for GuitarTuna?

Last reviewed September 2026. Pricing and plans change; check GuitarTuna's own site for current figures.

Short answer: Not for tuning. GuitarTuna's tuner is free, but only in standard tuning and with ads between uses; drop D, half step down and every other tuning sit behind a Tools subscription at about US$6.49 a month or US$29.99 a year. A microphone and some maths are all a tuner is, so the free tool here does chromatic tuning, a dozen instrument presets and a metronome in your browser with no ads and no account. If you want GuitarTuna's songs and lessons, that is a different product and a fair thing to pay for.

Where the paywall sits

GuitarTuna is the most downloaded tuner app and its business is subscriptions layered on top of a free tuner. The listing shows three tiers: Tools for custom and alternate tunings at about US$6.49 a month or US$29.99 a year, Play for the song and tab library at about US$9.99 a month or US$39.99 a year, and Learn for video lessons at about US$24.99 a month or US$139.99 a year. The free tier keeps standard tuning, the chord library and a basic metronome, with ads.

Reviews complain that features once free were moved behind the paywall over time, which is the pattern on every tool in this collection: the paid tier grows into the core action. Tuning to drop D is not a premium feature of a tuner. It is a different target frequency.

What the free version here does

Chromatic tuning of any note, with a cents needle, the frequency, and a reference pitch you can set between 415 and 466 Hz.
Presets for guitar (standard, drop D, half step down), 4 and 5 string bass, ukulele, violin, viola, cello, mandolin and banjo. Tap a string to hear its reference tone.
A metronome scheduled on the audio clock, so it does not drift: 30 to 300 BPM, tap tempo, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8, accented first beat, eighth and triplet subdivisions, and the tempo marking.
No ads, no account, nothing recorded. The microphone audio is analysed in your browser and discarded. Works offline once the page has loaded.

Open Tuner and Metronome — free, no account

When paying might still make sense

You want to learn songs from tabs and chord sheets synced to the music. That library is GuitarTuna's real product and licensing it costs money.
You want structured video lessons with feedback.
You practise on your phone with the screen off and want the tuner and metronome as a native app with widgets. A browser tab needs to stay open.

How this one stays free

It runs entirely in your browser. There is no server to pay for, nothing is uploaded, and the code is open source. There is nothing to cancel because there was nothing to sign up for.

GuitarTuna is a trademark of its owner. This page compares products and is not affiliated with or endorsed by GuitarTuna.